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Sunday, August 31, 2014

Emergencies
have a tendency to happen when least expected. If we had more of a
warning we would of course be able to prepare for them better, but in
general what you have on you is all you have to deal with whatever life
throws your way.

This is why every day carry items (EDC) are
so important. More often than not, whatever you bothered to carry that
day will be all you'll have at your disposal to deal with problems.
There are three main characteristics that define an effective EDC setup:Regularity:
Occurring with normal or healthy frequency. Your EDC must be carried,
and carried every day. The day you don’t carry it with you will be the
day you need it the most.Capability:The capacity
to be used, treated, or developed for a specific purpose. Within
reason, you must have the basic tools to cover some of the most likely
and most crucial scenarios. A phone will be carried and likely used
every day, but you may also need it for making a life-saving emergency
call. A gun may be carried for years and never using it on the streets,
but the day you do use it, it wil most likely save your life. A
flashlight can be used for searching under a desk, walking in a dark
parking lot or finding your way through a dark building after a
disaster.Adequacy: Your ED should besufficient
to satisfy your requirements and meet your needs. The tools you carry
should be capable enough. A 22LR derringer is better than no gun, but
I’d rather carry a Glock 357SIG. A $1 button cell LED light is better
than no light, but a +200 lumen torch with different modes can perform
better in more demanding scenarios. A Victorinox Classic can be used for
opening mail, but a larger multitool can be used for prying doors open,
cutting wire and various other tasks beyond the limits of a smaller
tool.
So as to cover a broad specturm of possible scenarios, both
everyday use and emergencies, you should carry the following items with
you:1)Cellphone
If you don’t have comms,
then you have nothing. Its as true in the military world as it is in the
civilian one. A working cellphone alone is a valuable enough asset as
it is, but smartphones basically give you a mini computer with various
other tools such as the ability to use wifi signals where available, go
online, make bank transfers, hotel reservations, buy plane tickets, and
carry important data just to mention a few. The latest Samsung Galaxy S5
is both water and dust proof, IP67 certified. The Moto G 4G LTE is a
fantastic option if you're on a tighter budget and also has some water
resistance.
Recommended: Samsung Galaxy S5- Moto G 4G LTE

House
keys, car keys, work keys, you pretty much wont leave your home without
them if you want to open your front door when you come back. Keychains
can also be the core around which you can build and lightweight EDC
system, covering the basics with minimalist tools. I use Lobster Clasps clips for quick access to my keychain tools.

4)Multitool
This
is the first item most people don’t usually carry even though they
should. It can be something as simple as a Victorinox Hiker to a more
full size mulittool such as a Leatherman Wave. Most quality multitools
will include a folding blade of some sort, so it can double as a pocket
knife as well. The multitool is perhaps the most useful tool you can
carry outside the first three basic staples no adult is ever without.
Recommended: Leatherman Charge Tti-Leatherman Wave-Leatherman Sidekick Leatherman Charge Multi-Tool TTi 5)Flashlight
In
average, you need artificial light to see 12 hours out of the 24 hs per
day. Still, so few people carry a flashlight. Utility use, emergency
signaling, lighting after disasters, tactical use, you simply should
carry one. With lights becoming more efficient, more powerful and more
compact there’s no excuse left to not carry one.
Recommended: Surefire Defender E1D -Eagletac D25C

6)Knife
Although
multitools will usually include a blade of some sort (in some cases
very good ones) you should also carry a dedicated folding knife. A
larger more solid folder will be suited for tougher tasks, maybe even
prying and defense use if called upon. The knife is the quintessential
survival tool, so it makes sense to have two of them.
Recommended:ZT Zero Tolerance 0561 - Cold Steel Vaquero - Spyderco Endura 4

7)Lighter
Maybe
one of the least carried items among non-smoking modern survivalists,
the ability to make fire is generally more associated to wilderness
survival. I still believe that it does have an important place in your
EDC setup. Like the knife, the ability to make fire has always been one
of our greatest achievements and every once in a while I find it very
useful, one of those things you take for granted and don’t really
appreciate it until you need it.
Recommended: Clover Zippo with thunderbird insert8)Gun
Hopefully
you will never have to use it, but in an increasingly unstable world,
it makes sense to be armed. My advice is to carry a Glock and spare
magazine, either 9mm or other bigger caliber you’re capable of
controlling well. When firearms are not an option, OC spray can be very
effective for controlling violent confrontations.

Although
these are the basics you should strive to cover, everyone being
different and having difference personal requirements and limitations
there can be variations within each tool to have, but these should be
the basics you should look to address.
FerFAL

Thursday, August 28, 2014

The purpose of this article
is not to criticize the man that died in this extremely unfortunate event but
to learn about it so as to try to avoid similar tragedies. I write this from
the perspective of a firearms instructor and a father that taught his son to
shoot at a very early age.

The wrong idea in the first
place

The anti-gun groups are out
for blood and it’s sad to see gun owners also attacking SSG Charles Vacca.
Although some mistakes were made in this tragedy, the problem starts with the
kind of establishment in the first place. “Burgers and Bullets” was intended as
a fun gun range, kind of like a theme park with guns. That’s the problem right
there. You can teach children safe gun handling, but that doesn’t mean gun
ranges can be turned into theme parks. Shooting firearms is serious business,
and when you try to make it a careless fun activity for all the family you have
problems. A child should be VERY well instructed along a long process that will
eventually allow him to handle a firearm. You start with airguns, then you
instruct on the use of firearms, mostly rifles. After extensive instruction and
dry fire practice only then you use some small caliber live ammunition. Handing
over a 9mm sub-machinegun to an inexperienced 9 year old is complete madness
and a recipe for disaster. You can’t have everything in life, and one of the
things you can’t have is a Disneyland with guns. It’s as insane and as
incompatible as a Disney hospital where kids operate on people for the very
first time… and eat great burgers. You might as well go for a Biological
warfare lab theme park.

Using the right gun

Shooters should start with
proper instruction, dry fire and then live ammo shooting. Once you start with
live ammo, you are better suited using a bolt action or single shot long arm,
in a small bore caliber such as 22LR. Only after a good amount of practice
should you move to handguns and big bore calibers. A full auto Uzi is probably
the most dangerous weapon you could hand over to a child. Not because it’s
particularly deadly, there are plenty of bigger calibers, but because of the
size (smaller being more dangerous and harder to control) and the difficulty of
handling full auto bursts, even for experts.

In this case, the folding
stock seems to have disengaged and folded to the right as the girl fired the burst,
losing control of the weapon.

Dealing with inexperienced
shooters

An instructor has to be all
over his student, even more so very young ones like this little girl. In this
case the instructor should have stood to the right and not to the left, behind
the 180º angle in front of the shooter, with his left hand over the girl’s
right shoulder, his right hand ready to control the weapon if needed. New
shooters make mistakes. It just happens. They move around, get distracted, move
the muzzle of the gun all over the place and the risk of an accidental discharge
is significant. Inexperienced shooters may even get scared and drop the gun
after firing the first time. That happens a lot. Even experienced shooters may
try to grab the gun as it falls or slips from their hands, accidentally
discharging it. This is why you are taught to let the gun fall if it ever slips
out of your hand during more advanced firearms training that involves movement
and single handed shooting.

Not all Instructors are
alike

Before trusting an
instructor with your life, and the life of your loved ones, know who you’re
dealing with. Not all instructors are alike so its important to learn about
their reputation, talk with them and ultimately decide yourself it this isa person you can trust. I’ve sat there in
class with my best poker face while a certified NRA firearms instructor explained
to me how Glock pistols have hidden, internal hammers that strike the firing
pin and that the first trigger pull of a Glock is in double action while the
ones that follow are fired in lighter single action. I asked again because I couldn’t
believe such incompetence, but didn’t bother to correct the instructor in front
of the class when I was reassured such facts about Gaston Glock design. Not all
instructors are good. You can be an Olympic medal winning shooter or a Navy
SEAL operator and still lack the pedagogical skills to be a good firearms instructor.

Guns can be fun to shoot
folks, but toys they are not and shooting firearms is serious business.

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Pets are an important part
of our lives. Maybe I’m a bit too old school, but to me a kid growing up
without a dog isnt having the full childhood experience.

They can fulfill some
important roles when it comes to preparedness as well. Dogs can hunt and protect
the family from predators. They can be excellent warning systems, even
deterrents in some cases, butabove all,
they are loyal partners, part of our family.

The following steps will
help you prepare keeping in mind our furry pals:

1)Pet Supplies

Pets will have the same
basic needs you have. They need shelter, food, water and medical supplies. Just
like you store food for emergency use in your home, do the same for your pet.
Dog food is cheap enough as it is. You can buy a big bag of dry dog food that
will store well, rotate as you use it up, and always keep a good supply for emergencies.
Don’t forget to keep your pet in mind when planning how much water you will be
needing during an emergency. Some of the first aid kit supplies for humans can
be used in animals as well, but talk with your vet and stock up on any
medication your pet may need. A supply of flea drops for example makes sense.
Apply this same logic to all your kits. Keep food for your pet in any kits you
keep in your vehicle (3 day supply) or caches that you have in other places like
potential bug out locations. Don’t forget to also include dog poop bags and
kitty litter supplies.

2)Pet Identification

Your pet cant communicate so
its important to make identification as easy and as reliable as possible. A
collar with a tag and your phone number is the first line of defense when it
comes to lost pets. The problem is that tags can be accidentally or
intentionally removed. An implanted chip stays with the pet and anyone scanning
the animal will be able to return it to the rightful owner. This doesn’t apply
just to pets lost during disasters. Thousands of pets get lost or stolen every
day.

3)Pet Control

You need a way of controlling
your pet when there’s an emergency. Dogs sense when people around them are
nervous and excited. Screaming, shouting, confusion, a dog can easily run away,
fail to obay command, even bite someone during a crisis. You need a fast way of
controlling the animal. A sturdy collar and leash will do the job. The
retractable walking leashes are usually flimsy, a short sturdy one should be
kept handy for emergencies. A crate or pet carrier is excellent for quickly controlling
the animal and transportation. With a crate it will be much easier to carry
your nervous pet in your car during evacuation. In some emergency centers and
for boarding some evacuation vehicles, having a suitable crate may be mandatory
if you expect to bring your pet along with you. It is understandable that
rescue services may not want to risk bringing in a loose nervous animal when
there’s other priorities such as saving human lives.

Make your pet part of your
bug out plan. Can you bring your pet to your bug out location? Can you bring it
to your family or friend’s house during an emergency?

Talk with your vet about
vaccinations and stay on schedule. Ask him about shelters where your pet may
end up if lost. Add these numbers to your contact list just in case. Have a
buddy system by which one of your friends or neighbors can watch over your pet
for some time if needed. You probably have someone doing so already when on holidays.

5)Its just a Pet

People often get very much
attached to their pets. They end up becoming part of our families. Some people
even consider their pets the closest creatures to them, their children. While
this is common we should never lose perspective of our priorities. Pets are
precious to us but they are not people and if the moment ever comes you must
not hesitate to put your safety and the safety of your family first. Only once
your family is taken care should you worry about pets. Don’t risk getting
caught by a fire, a flood or other disaster because of a pet.

In my case I had to leave
our dog behind when leaving Argentina. A 40 day quarantine was needed, as well
as tons of paperwork that we just couldn’t do in time. As mentioned in point 4,
I did have someone that could take our dog in. He had a large farm with several
dogs of the same breed and was happy to accommodate mine as well. If we had
waited until we sorted out our dog’s paperwork plus the 40 day quarantine,
there’s a good chance we wouldn’t have been able to leave Argentina. Sometimes
you have to make tough decisions, accept the responsibility for your actions
and do what’s best for your family.

Bonus Tips:

1)Treat your pet like a pet

A dog or cat isn’t a person,
nor does it wish to be treated like one. If the owner fails to perform its role
as leader of the pack, your pet will feel unhappy, not the other way around. When a dog feels the owner isn’t in control of
the pack (the family) the dog may try to take the alpha role. This can be
dangerous with some of the larger, more dominant breeds.

2)No excuse for fat pets

Each time I visit the vet,
it blows my mind to see so many fat dogs and cats. Last time I checked, neither
one has opposable thumbs. Your Pit Bull wont be opening the fridge at 1AM to
grab a piece of chocolate cake, its always the owner the one that overfeeds it,
projecting his own feelings of pleasure and indulgence towards the animal under
the following mechanism: “My pet is happy when it eats, I want my pet to be
happy so I’ll feed it a lot”. In my case, my dog would eat five pounds of food
beyond its healthy ration if I let it. He eats plants, plastic and metal toys
as well if you let him. A lean pet is a healthy, happy pet that will enjoy a
better life and statistically live 10% to 20% more than an overfed pet.

3)Get the right Pet

Stay away from exotic
animals unless you really know what you are doing and when getting a dog, get
one of the right size and breed to fit your needs. Don’t get an animal that
needs lots of exercise if you don’t plan on walking it. Don’t get a known dominant
or large breed if you have no experience with that kind of dog.

Monday, August 25, 2014

Hey Fernando,Read your book and have been following your blog ever since. My
question relates to certain hardware that would be prudent to
accumulate. I currently work for a company that will give me 75 to 90%
off on many items. They carry hundreds of thousands of items and the
employee discount is their cost plus 5%. Although some items would
simply be nice to have for around the house, I could see how a bag of
screws, nuts, or bolts made in China that once cost a few bucks could
become substantially more expensive in the event of a currency collapse
or embargo.
Which items became hard to get in Argentina post collapse, and what would you suggest stocking up on?
Regards,
Brian

Hi!

When it comes to stocking up
gear I suggest to take it easy, even more so when thinking about items “that
would be prudent to accumulate”. Remember that a nice amount of savings is
probably your most useful tool when things go wrong. Money is more likely to
come in handy for the most common problems people have to deal with in today’s
world.

When first getting started
focus on the basics. You need food and water. Go for food that has a long shelf
life, requires no refrigeration and requires little or no cooking (plenty of
canned food and pasta). Saving up some water is as simple as it gets but you’d
be surprised by how many people haven’t got a single extra bottle stored for
emergency use. Don’t forget to have means of cooking that food and means of
purifying more water. You want to have a gun for defense too, a good first aid
kit, a few flashlights and plenty of batteries.

I don’t believe in stocking
up on supplies for bartering after the end of the world, but if you have a nice
discount like you seem to have these would be my suggestions:

1)Get a good set of quality hand tools(hammer, saw, wrench and screwdrivers
set), power tools (drill, saw, grinder). Disaster or not, you’ll still use
these. In the case of Argentina, after the economic collapse good tools became
very expensive because of the devaluation. When it comes to tools, pay once,
cry once. I’ve bought enough “junk” brands to know better by now.

2)Buy a generator and a
kerosene heater. If its just for staying warm, kero heaters are far more fuel
efficient for keeping you warm than running a generator, well suited for
blackouts and storms in cold locations. If possible, get some jerry cans for
fuel storage and food grade containers for storing water.

3)Get assorted nails, screws
and washers. These should be cheap enough and you use them anyway. Plastic
sheets and duct tape have a number of uses, from closing windows when the glass
was damaged to tarps for damaged roofs.

4) Cleaning supplies. Stock
up on things like soap, laundry detergent and bleach. Powder detergent is
usually cheaper and more concentrated than liquid ones. In the case of bleach,
stock up on bleach tablets for long term storage. Liquid bleach loses potency
quickly.

5)I would buy some respirators,
face masks, disposable plastic coveralls, gloves and more duct tape. These
could be used in case of a pandemic, NBC attack or when repainting the house or
sanding the garden furniture. A good face mask to get is the fold flat respirator. For respirators, get those that use 40mm canisters.

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Guys, unless specifically told not to, I'll post the reply here in the blog so everyone can read it.I'll just leave the first name, and remove the last name, email or any other specific information for privacy reasons.Thanks

Leatherman Charge Ti

Fenix Lights

I love this light. Runs on a single AAA and is capable of big boy lumen output (80 lumens) in a keychain package. Also has low and mid mode for longer runtime.
Fenix PD20
Single CR123 cell. 6 modes including 180 lumen turbo mode.
General Mode: 9 lumens (35hrs) -> 47 lumens (6.5hrs) -> 94 lumens (2.6hrs) -> SOS
Turbo Mode: 180 lumens (1hrs) -> Strobe
15 days of survival use (2 continuous hours per day on the lowest setting)

Thanks for the Positive Reviews!

Energency gadget... on steroids.

Asus Eee 1005HA

Basic Door/Window Alarm

Emergency gadget

Both tool and weapon, just the right size

Straight edge makes it easier to sharpen, + tougher tip

Gorilla Tape

By all accounts and reviews I’ve read so far, it truly is “The toughest Tape on the Planet”

Transportation

I talked about these some time ago in an article, remember someone asked where to get one.
"Alternative Transportation"
Just found one reasonably priced and with excellent reviews in Amazon.

Best Folder

Emergency blankets. I Have several of these around.

Katadyn water filter

for the kits

and food ...

Got to have water: Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel

Moleskine, the ultimate little black cover notebook :)

Fenix L0D-CE. Perfect keychain light. 80 Lumens in a single AAA

Nice combo. The Soldier is an excellent product.

Sabre Red OC spray

Made in USA
This is the brand I use and always have one in my bag and car. ( same brand used by NYPD)
My wife keeps one in her purse too.
Sabre Red Tear Gas
Sabre Red for ladies
You guys have the coolest stuff up there.:)

Jack Bauer’s bag.:) I’d like to get one of these and try it out.

Fox OC Spray

Don’t have this one but it’s the hottest OC spray out there.
Someone once called it “bottled lava”
Pick your poison people, but do carry OC
1) Even if you carry a gun
2) SPECIALLY if you don’t carry a gun

Firesteel

Classic, and one of the few things I’d call a “must have” I own two of these.